USC Schaeffer

Cell & gene therapies hold tremendous promise for patients, but most lack access. Current efforts to expand access fall short. Our new white paper proposes a phased approach, starting with a private-sector financing model to address systemic barriers. 🔗schaeffer.usc.edu/research/cell-…

Slow clinical trial recruitment is a major bottleneck in the search for new #Alzheimers treatments. Our new review of almost 1,000 trials points to critical opportunities to strengthen the science of enrollment. Read more from @PhylFerrell: schaeffer.usc.edu/research/alzhe…

The narrowing gap between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare payment rates suggests a CMS effort to curb MA overspending is working, USC Schaeffer's Paul Ginsburg tells @modrnhealthcr @alex_kacik. modernhealthcare.com/providers/mh-m…

"Critics argue that GLP-1s cost too much to broaden access. That case is fading quickly" as prices drop significantly, writes USC Schaeffer Scholar Alison Sexton Ward. star-telegram.com/opinion/us-vie…

Total medical costs for Traditional Medicare beneficiaries with #Alzheimers and related dementias reached $54 billion in 2022. Our interactive visualization shows these costs have been changing over time, populations and care settings. schaeffer.usc.edu/research/demen…

New drugs that slow early-stage #Alzheimers are ushering in a new era of excitement for researchers. “Everything feels different the last few years, compared with the decades leading up to that,” says Schaeffer Sr. Scholar Paul Aisen, who's been studying the disease for ~40 yrs.

There was a 72% drop in the number of FDA advisory committee meetings last year, according to analysis by USC Schaeffer’s @ProfGenKanter.

Teen cannabis use 2x the risk of being diagnosed with psychotic and bipolar disorders later in life, finds a large study co-authored by USC Schaeffer's Rosalie Liccardo Pacula. There was also increased risk for depressive and anxiety disorders. priceschool.usc.edu/news/teenage-c…

What's driving high healthcare costs--and will what it take to get them under control? USC Schaeffer's Paul Ginsburg shares his insights in this @medpagetoday interview. medpagetoday.com/special-report…

In formal comments, Schaeffer experts urged CMS to withdraw the GLOBE and GUARD international reference pricing models and instead pursue a value-based drug pricing approach grounded in American values. schaeffer.usc.edu/research/comme…

Call it the era of “Big Patient.” Recent drug pricing developments in Washington signal an effort to shift power toward patients and away from established interests, USC Schaeffer's @RealJoeGrogan writes in @Newsweek. newsweek.com/trump-admin-ta…

New #PBM reform provisions could help keep pharmacies open and improve patient access to medicines and care, USC Schaeffer's Dima Qato tells @HealthcareBrew @MaiaLura. healthcare-brew.com/stories/2026/0…

To ensure Medicaid remains a vital safety net, policymakers should take a close look at the program’s “mission creep” into housing, write USC Schaeffer’s Virat Agrawal and Neeraj Sood in @TheHillOpinion. thehill.com/opinion/health…

Insurer formularies often favor opioid pain medications over non-opioid alternatives, USC Schaeffer's Dima Qato tells @stateline_news. Some states are moving to change that. stateline.org/2026/02/13/mor…

Between 2015–22, an increasing share of Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollees switched plans outside of the open enrollment period. Grace Mackleby of @USCSchaeffer and coauthors examine how different enrollment periods function among MA enrollees. healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.13…

The FDA is increasingly turning to ad hoc expert panels instead of federal advisory committees for external advice. FDA watchers generally agree these expert panels "are likely unlawful," USC Schaeffer's @ProfGenKanter tells @RAPSorg. raps.org/news-and-artic…

The question of whether to ban drug ads isn’t so clear cut, USC Schaeffer research suggests. The @nytimes cites Schaeffer research finding that ads led to increased use of non-advertised substitutes, including cheaper generics. nytimes.com/2026/02/16/hea…

USC Schaeffer's Geoffrey Joyce in @modrnhealthcr explains why the FTC settlement with Express Scripts matters: "[It] really gets to the heart of a lot of things PBMs do to make money and increase drug spend." modernhealthcare.com/politics-regul…

Recent shifts in federal #PBM policy closely align with a decade of USC Schaeffer research examining how PBMs affect drug spending, patient costs and access. Read more about our research with impact here: schaeffer.usc.edu/research/schae…

93% of Medicaid managed care prescriptions and 75% of Medicare Part D prescriptions are filled in states where PBM markets are highly concentrated, finds new USC Schaeffer research. schaeffer.usc.edu/research/pbm-m…